Carriers for cups, sandwiches and the like

ABSTRACT

A carrier is disclosed, made of foldable material, such as corrugated cardboard, solid fiberboard, paperboard, molded pulp, or various solid or foamed plastics, or laminates of these or other materials, for example, and comprising a bottom wall, first and second end walls extending upwardly from said bottom wall, and a handle extending between said first and second end walls, said handle having a horizontal panel and downwardly folded stiffening flanges thereon. In certain embodiments, the handle is folded from the upper portion of one end wall and is adapted to extend through an opening in the other end wall. The handle and the opening are preferably triangular in shape. Locking means are preferably provided to retain the handle in the opening. The carrier comprises one or more intermediate panels folded from said first end wall and secured to said second end wall, the intermediate panels preferably being formed with openings to receive cups or the like. Vertical flanges are preferably folded downwardly from said intermediate panels to provide rigidity. Locking tabs are preferably provided between the vertical flanges and the bottom wall. A space for sandwiches or the like is preferably provided between the intermediate panels.

United States Patent- Daughtry Nov. 28, 1972 CARRIERS FOR CUPS, SANDWICHES Primary Examiner-Joseph R. Leclair ANDTHELIKE [72] Inventor: Wallace B. Daughtry, 715 West Elm Street, Arlington Heights, 111. 60004 22 Filed: June 10, 1970 [21] Appl. No.: 45,013

Related US. Application Data [62] Division of Ser. No. 673,712, Oct. 9, 1967, Pat.

[52] US. Cl. ..229/28, 224/45 AB, 224/45 P, 229/29 B, 229/52 B [51] Int. Cl ..B65d 5/46, B65d 5/48 [58] Field of Search.....229/28, 29 B, 29 C, 52 B, 30; 224/48 C, 48 R, 45 P, 45 R, 45 AB; 206/72; 220/l18,115,116

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,209,980 10/1965 Festa ..229/28 R 2,640,589 6/ 1953 Foster et a1 ..229/28 2,918,206 12/1959 Kleingers, Jr. ..229/52 B 3,201,024 8/ 1965 Brokop ..206/72 3,334,800 8/1967 Hoagland ..229/28 2,728,484 12/1955 Farrington ..229/28 2,901,157 8/1959 Williamson ..229/28 3,018,032 1/1962 Butterfill ..229/52 B Assistant ExaminerStephen Marcus Attomey-Burmeister, Palmatier & Hamby [57] ABSTRACT A carrier is disclosed, made of foldable material, such ,as corrugated cardboard, solid fiberboard, paperboard, molded pulp, or various solid or foamed plastics, or laminates of these or other materials, for example, and comprising a bottom wall, first and second end walls extending upwardly from said bottom wall, and a handle extending between said first and second end walls, said handle having a horizontal panel and downwardly folded stiffening flanges thereon. in certain embodiments, the handle is folded from the upper portion of one end wall and is adapted to extend through an opening in the other'end wall. The handle and the opening are preferably triangular in shape. Locking means are preferably provided to retain the handle in the opening. The carrier comprises one or more intermediate panels folded from said first end wall and secured to said second end wall, the intermediate panels preferably being formed with openings to receive cups or the like. Vertical flanges are preferably folded downwardly from said intermediate panels to provide rigidity. Locking tabs are preferably provided between the vertical flanges and the bottom wall. A space for sandwiches or the like is preferably provided between the intermediate panels.

4 Chin, 9 Drawing Figures PATENTED NOV 2 8 I972 SHEET 1 OF 2- FIG.3

CARRIERS FOR CUPS, SANDWICHES AND THE LIKE This application is a division of .my copending application, Ser. No. 673,7l2, filed Oct. 9, 1967, now U.S. Pat. No. 3,517,868.

This invention relates to carriers adapted tov holdhold the carrier in one hand, so that the other hand is 1 free to perform other necessary tasks, such as opening a car door, for example.'The carriers of the present invention provide large capacity, .so that several complete meals, comprising food and beverages may be held in one carrier. The carriers are stable and strong so that there is no danger of spilling or dropping the items being carried. The carriers are especially well adapted to carry sandwiches and beverages. For convenient storage, the carriers are arranged so that they may be folded flat. The carriers are easy to erect from the folded blanks. The carriers maybe made of low cost materials, such as plain or corrugated cardboard, solid fober board, paperboard, molded pulp, chip board, or various solid or foamed plastics.

In general, each carrier preferably comprises 'a bottom wall, first and second end walls projecting upwardly therefrom, a handle'extending between the end walls, and means connecting the handle to, the upper portions of the end walls. The handle preferably comprises an elongated generally horizontal panel and a pair of stiffening flanges folded therefrom.

In certain embodiments, the handle is foldably connected to the upper portion of the first end wall and isreceived in an opening in the second end wall. The handle and the opening are preferably triangular in shape. Locking means are alsopreferably provided to secure the handle to the second end wall.

In another embodiment, the handle is foldably connected to both end walls and preferably is formed integrally with one end wall.

Intermediate panels are preferably folded from one end wall and secured to the other end wall, so as to extend horizontally therebetween. Openings are preferably formed in the intermediate panels to receive beverage cups or the like. stiffening flanges are preferably folded downwardly from the intermediate panels. It is preferred to provide locking means between the stiffening flanges on the bottom wall. A space or opening is preferably provided between the intermediate panels, to hold sandwiches or the like.

Various other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will appear from the following description, taken with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of .a cup and sandwich carrier, constituting an illustraded embodiment .of th invention.

FIG. 2 is a vertical section, taken generally along the line 2-2 in FIG. I.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the carrier of FIG. 1, in the collapsed or flattened position in which it is normally stored FIG. 4, is a plan view of the fiat blank for the carrier of FIG. 1 before the blank is folded and assembled into the collapsed position as shown in FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a carrier similar to that of FIG. 1, but having a greater capacity.

FIG. 6 is a vertical section, taken generally along the line 6-6 in FIG. 5.

FIG. 7 is a plan view, showing the carrier of FIG. 5 in a collpased or flattened position.

FIG. 8 is a plan view of the blank for the carrier of FIG. 5, before being folded and assembled as shown in FIG. 7.

FIG. 9 is a fragmentary perspective view showing a modified constructionwhich is applicable to the carriers of FIGS. 1-8.

FIGS. 1-4 illustrate a carrier 220, adapted to hold two beverage cups 70, and a plurality of sandwiches 221-, or various other food items. The carrier 220 comprises a bottom wall 222 and end walls 224 and 226, folded upwardly therefrom along score lines 228 and 230. A handle 232 is folded from the first end wall 224, along a score line 234. The handle 232 preferably comprises a generally horizontal panel 235, from which two stiffening flanges 236 and 238 are folded, along score lines 240 and 242.

An opening 244 is preferably formed in the second end wall 226 to receive the handle 232. The handle 232 and the opening 244 are preferably triangular in shape. The carrier 220 is provided with one or more intermediate panels 247, which are folded from the end wall 224 along score lines 249. It will be seen that two of the intermediate panels 247 are provided in the carrier 220 of FIG. 1. The panels 247 are generally horizontal and are at a lower elevation than the handle 232. Each intermediate panel 247 extends between the end walls 224 and 226. Means are provided to connect each panel 247 to the end wall 226. In the illustrated construction, each intermediate panel 247 is formed with a flange or flap 251 which is folded therefrom along a mediate panels 247 is such that the carrier 220 may be flattened or collapsed, as shown in FIG. 3. In this way, the carrier 220 may be stored very compactly, prior to use.

One or more openings 254 are preferably provided in the intermediate panels 247 to receive and locate the beverage cups 70. In the carrier 220 of FIG. 1, each intermediate panel 247'has one such opening 254.

Means are preferably provided to rigidify the carrier 220. In FIG. 1, such means take the form of vertical flanges or panels 255, folded downwardly from the intermediate panels 247 along score lines 257. The flanges 255 preferably extend downwardly to the bottom wall 222. Moreover, the flanges 255 preferably extend between the end walls 224 and 226.

Means are preferably provided to connect the flanges 255 to the bottom wall 252. In the illustrated constructiomsuch means take the form of tabs or ears 259, formed on the flanges 255, and projecting into slots or openings 261 in the bottom wall 222. It will be understood that the bottom wall 222 is sufficiently resilient to permit the entry of the tabs'259, into the slots 261.

Means are also preferably provided to lock the handle 232 to the end wall 226. As shown, the end wall 226 is formed with a tab 290 which projects into a slot or opening 292 in the handle 232. The tab 290 and the horizontal panel 235 of the handle 232 are sufficiently springy to permit the tab to enter the slot 222. I v

The handle flanges 236 and 238 arealso preferably provided with stop shoulders or ears 294 which engage the end wall 226 and limit the movement of the handle 232 through the triangular opening 244.

The carrier 220 is 'madein a flat blank, of cardboard or the like, as shown in FIG. 4, and then is folded and assembled, as shown in FIG. 3. The flange 251 is glued, stapled or otherwise secured to the end wall 226 to complete the assembly of the blank. The carrier is shipped and stored in the collapsed position, as shown in FIG. 3.

It is easy to erect the carrier to the position shown in FIG. 1. This is done by unfolding the carrier so that the end wall 224 and the intermediate panels 247 are moved away from the bottom wall 222 and the end wall 226. The stiffening flanges 255 are then folded vdownwardly. The handle 232 is folded and then is inserted through the opening 244, where it is retained by the tab 290.

FIGS. 5-8 illustrate another modified carrier 320, which is similar to the carrier 220, but is enlarged in size to provide greater capacity. The carrier 320 is capable of holding four of the beverage cups 70,'and a larger number of the sandwiches 221. All of the components of the carrier 320 have been given the same reference characters, increased by 100. Thus, it will be sufficient to describe the differences between the carriers 320 and 220.

The bottom wall 322 is the same as before, except that it is of greater size, so that the end wall 324 and 326 are farther apart. The end walls are the same as before.

It-will be evident that each carrier of the present invention provides a handle which enables the carrier to be securely grasped and held in one hand. Thus, a personeasily transport two of the carriers, without any danger of spilling or dropping the food and beverages. If only one carrier is transported, the other hand is free for other necessary tasks.

The carriers 0 the present invention provide great capacity, so that several snadwiches and other food items can be carried simultaneously, along with several beverages.

The carriers are so constructed that they can be shipped and stored in a flat position, to conserve space. The carriers may be erected very easily and quickly.

Inasmuch as the carriers are made of cardboard or other inexpensive materials, the carriers are verylow in cost. Thus, the carriers may be treated as expendable items to be thrown away after use.

The handle 332 is the same as before, except that it is longer. The intermediate panels 347 are also longer. Moreover, each intermediate panel 347 is formed with two of the openings 353, to receive and locate two beverage cups 70. The two openings 353 in each panel 347 are connected together. As before, the opening 353 are formed in part by the folding of the flanges 355 from the intermediate panels 347.

The flanges 355 are longer and are formed with a plurality of locking tabs 359, which are adapted to be received in the slots 361, formed in the bottom wall 322.

The carrier 320 is erected in the same manner as carrier 220. When erected, the carrier 320 will hold four beverage cups. The space between the intermediate panels 347 they will be treated as expendable, single service items. Normally, the customer will discard each carrier after a single use.

Various other modifications, alternative constructions and equivalents may be employed, as will be evident to those skilled in the art.

I claim:

1. A carrier for food, beverages or the like,

comprising a generally horizontal bottom wall made of foldable material, first and second end walls extending upwardly from opposite ends of said bottom wall, a handle extending between said first and second end walls,

means connecting said handle to the upper portions of said first and second end walls,

said handle having an elongated generally horizontal panel and a pair of stiffening flanges folded therefrom,

a pair of generally horizontal intermediate panels folded from one of said end walls and extending to the opposite end wall at a level between the level of said bottom wall and the level of said handle,

said intermediate panels being disposed on opposite sides of said handle,

and means for securing said intermediate panels to the opposite end wall,

said last-mentioned means comprising a flap folded from each of said intermediate panels and secured to the opposite end wall.

2. A carrier according to claim 1,

including a generally vertical panel folded downwardly from each of said intermediate panels.

3. A carrier according to claim 1,

' including a foldable connection between said and said first end wall,

and a detachable connection between said handle and said second end wall.

4. A carrier according to claim 1,

handle including foldable connections between said handle and both of said end walls. 

1. A carrier for food, beverages or the like, comprising a generally horizontal bottom wall made of foldable material, first and second end walls extending upwardly from opposite ends of said bottom wall, a handle extending between said first and second end walls, means connecting said handle to the upper portions of said first and second end walls, said handle having an elongated generally horizontal panel and a pair of stiffening flanges folded therefrom, a pair of generally horizontal intermediate panels folded from one of said end walls and extending to the opposite end wall at a level between the level of said bottom wall and the level of said handle, said intermediate panels being disposed on opposite sides of said handle, and means for securing said intermediate panels to the opposite end wall, said last-mentioned means comprising a flap folded from each of said intermediate panels and secured to the opposite end wall.
 2. A carrier according to claim 1, including a generally vertical panel folded downwardly from each of said intermediate panels.
 3. A carrier according to claim 1, including a foldable connection between said handle and said first end wall, and a detachable connection between said handle and said second end wall.
 4. A carrier according to claim 1, including foldable connections between said handle and both of said end walls. 